Lubricant-leakage-preventing device for compressors



G. A. KRAMER. LUBRICANT LEAKAGE PREVENTING DEVICE FOR COMPRESSORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 7| I9I9.

\M. 0m MW uwm 5 4 panying drawings UNITED-STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAV A. KRAMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 BALSA REFRIGERATOR CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LUBRICANT-LEAKAGE-PREVENTING DEVICE FOR COMPRESSORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1920.

Original application filed January 4, 1917. Serial No. 140,509. Divided and this application filed January 7, 1919. Serial No. 270,015.

To all whom it may concern:

Be .it known that I, GUSTAV A. KRAMER, a subject of the King of Hungary, now residing at New York cit county of New York, and State of New ork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Lubricant-LeakagePreventing Devices for Compressors, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates 'to certain improvements in high speed compressors, and the invention has for its special object the production of a'high speed compressorwhich will be self-oiling under varying load conditions, and in which escape of lubricant from the compressor is prevented, so that the compressor will operate automatically without attention for long periods, such a compressor having been particularly designed for use in automatic refrigerating systems of the household type, such as shown and described in my co-pending application Serial No;140,509, filed January 4, 1917, now .Patent No. 1,281,027, of which application the present case is a division. The improved compressor and improved means employed for preventing escape of,

lubricant therefrom is shown in the accomand will now be described fully inconnection therewith. In these drawings' 3 Figure 1 is a plan view partly in sectlon illustrating the compressor and a connection from the compressor to its prime mover, through which the compressor is driven, and escape of lubricant from the' compressor prevented; I c Fi .2 is a cross section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing the arrangement of compressor parts, and I r Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on a some; what enlarged scale, showing a modification in the connection from the compressor to its prime mover for preventing escape of lubricant. n F

In high speed air compressors or pumps of a type which will be automatic and not require attention for long periods, such asare particularly desirable in automatic re frigerating systems, diflicult has been experienced in. properly coo ing thecompressor. In such compressors, furthermore, where the lubrication of the compressor must be automatic for long periods, it is necessary that there be supplied an amount of lubricant greatly in excess of that actually required for the lubrication of the compressor, and there has been greatdifliculty 1n providing suitable connections between the compressor and its primefl r'riover which shall prevent escape and a consequent loss of lubricant, particularly where, as in refrigerating systems the compressors /must operate under varymg load conditions.

two-cylinder pump having pistons 15, 16'

working in cylinders 17, 18 operated from a crank shaft 19 mounted in suitable ball bearings 20 in the crank case 21. A piston valve 22 controls the passage of thevapor to be compressed from an inlet 23 to the c linders, and the compressed vapor from t e upper cylinder 17 shown in Fig. 1, passes through a passage 24 in the valve to and through a passage 25, and the compressed vapor from the lower cylinder 18 passes directly through passage 25' into casing 21, the vapors being thus directed fora purpose hereinafter referred to. The valve 22 may, if desired, be oiled in any suitable manner, as by a hook-shaped member 22? which acts to draw oil into the valve casing. This valve is operated in any suitable manner, as byeccentric 26, rod 27, and links 28.

As before stated, a supply of lubricant is provided for lubricating the compressor which is greatlyin excess of ,that actually needed for lubricating purposes, this ex- 7 cess .of lubricant serving to make the apgparatus' automatic for lon periods, and ther, this excess of lubricant is utilized for assisting in cooling the compressor. particular construction used for this purpose may be varied, but as illustrated the crank case of the compressor is carried in a housing -29 which is suitably mounted on a "support 7. This housing is of sufiic ient dimansions to hold the desired excess of lubricant, and the lubricant has a free circulation around this housing and through the The crank case of the compressor, entering the crank case of the compressor through a suitable opening or port such as that marked 30 in Fig. 2.

This arrangement permits an excess of lubricant and, at the same time, b the lubricant circulati g through the era case and through the h using the heat generated by the compressor is, through the .liquid, transferred to the housing which, having a much larger surface, can be more effectively cooled by the air current generated by a fan or other medium.

The compressed gas, as before stated, passes from the piston valve through the crank casing and leaves the crank casing through a suitable channel which may be,

' The compressor is driven, as. before stated, 7,

from any suitable primemover, as an electric motor, through shaft 38 and fly wheel 39. It is necessary in the construction described, in which the lubricant is carried in a housing, that the connections between the motor shaft and the crank shaft of the compressor be such that leakage of the lubricant around the connection shall be reduced to a required minimum, so that there shall not be any substantial loss of lubricant. Various constructions may be emplo ed for this purpose, but a stufiing gland o novel construction is shown in the drawings which has been found to be very efficient in practice, and which forms one of the chief features of the invention. In the construction illustrated, referring first to Fig. 1, the housing 29,, before referred to, is provided with a boss 40 formed with an interior seat 41. On this 'seat 41 is a disk or plate 42 which is held against the seat so as to be liquid-ti ht by a flanged holder ring secured 1 in'er or raveler'47. This runner 47 has its which shal lower fa'e highly polished so as to have a be substantially liquidtight, a very small amount of liquid being permitted to pass between these plates for the purpose of lubricating. This amount of liquid is determined by a spring 48 which presses the two polished surfaces against each other andpermits only sufiicient lubricant to enter between them as will suflice for their lubrication.

As the pressure of the lubricant varies in the crank case during the operation of the apparatus, and as the spring must not be of such strength as to hold the plates in liquid-tight relation with each other at the highest occurring pressure of the lubricant, means are provided for assisting the spring in holding the surfaces together. While these means may vary somewhat, the pressure of the lubricant is utilized for this purpose. While the specific means may vary somewhat, in the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 the hollow runner 47 is closed at one endvby a plug 49 fast on the shaft 19, before referred to, a lubricant chamber 50 being formed between the plug and the bottom of the runner. This chamber at its upper part is rendered liquid-tight by a cup washer 51. The runner 47 is slotted .at its upper end, as indicated at 48, and

through the slots passes a pin 49', this pin also passing through the plug 49, thus putting the runner in contact with the plug and at the same time permitting a slight sliding movement of the plug, so that the spring will always hold therunner in suitable contact with the plate or disk 45, before referred to. \Vith this construction, the lubricant under high pressure can pass through the clearances 46 inthe plate and runner and-thus enter the liquid chamber 50 in the runner and add its pressure to the pressure of the spring and hold the two surfaces in the required liquid-tight relation with each other.

The crank shaft 19 and motor shaft 18 are coupled together by any suitable coup ling,1 a coupling 52, being indicated in With the construction as thus far described an ample supply of lubricant is provided, the heat of the compressor is diffused so that it may be more effectively cooled by suitable cooling means, and, furthermore, the compressor being sealed by the liquid in the housin all of its joints are tight and danger of loss of compressed vapor as refrigerant, for instance, is re duced to a minimum, as long as the glands are tight and the lubricant-level is maintained above the glands.

In Fig. 3is illustrated a modification'embodying the rinciple of the stufling gland just previous described and shown in Fig. 1. The speci 0 construction shown in Fig. 3-, however, is somewhat different from that shown in Fig. 1, and will now be described.

In the construction shown in this figure the crank shaft 19 has fast thereon an turning therewith a fixed collar or nut 53, which has a hi hly polished lower surface.

Cooperating w1 h this collar or nut 53 is a runner nut or bushing 54 slidable on the crank shaft 19. This bushing 54 is backed by a spring 55, which takes against the bearing of the crank case before referred to. This spring 55 performs the same function as the spring 48, before referred to in the description of the gland shown in Fig. 1. As the pressure increases during the operation of the apparatus, as heretofore ex'plained,'means are provided to assist the spring 55 in holding the polished surfaces of'the nut and bushing in such close contact as only to permit the desired amount-f of lubricant to enter between the surfaces. efl'ectin this in the modification of Fig. 3,-the gu means of a liquid-tight flexible diaphragm 56 clamped between the boss 40 and a top. plate 57 the diaphragm at its inner edges taking against a shoulder 58 in the bushing and being clamped at that point against the shoulder by a nut 59. This nut 59in the particular construction illustrated forms one abutment for the spring 55, being provided with :a flange 60 for this purpose. The lubricant is admitted from the housing to the polished surfaces by means of a narrowpassage 61 around the crank shaft.

While the invention is shown and de- In the construction shown forshing is yieldingly supported by means for holding the members in fluidtight relation under normal fluid ressure, and separate means for assisting t e holding means under increased fluid pressure.

2. The combination of a fluid containin chamber, a shaft extending through a wa thereof, a stuflin gland including a member fixed relative y to the shaft and a member movable relatively thereto, said members having cooperating rigid fluid-tight faces, and a spring for holdmg the members in fluid-tight relation under normal fluid pressure, and separate connections whereby increased fluid pressure would actuate the movable member to assist the spring in holding the members in fluidtight relation. 3. The combination of a fluid containin chamber, a shaft extending throu h a wa thereof, a member fixed relative y .to the shaft and a member movable along the shafti said members having cooperating rigi fluid-tight faces, a. spring actuatln the sliding member to bring it into flui -tight contact with the fixed member under normal fluid pressure, and means whereby in crease of pressure would also actuate the movable member to assist the spring in holdin the members in fluid-tight relation.

4. T e combination with a chamber containing fluid subjected to varying workin pressures, a rotary shaft extending throug the Wall thereof, a stuffing gland including a member fixed to theshaft and a member slidable on the shaft, the adjacent faces of these members being fluid-tight, a spring adjusted to force the movable member into fluid-tight contact with the fixed member under normal fluid pressure, and a flexible diaphragm for additionall forcing the movable member into fluid-tight contact with the fixed member under increasing fluid pressure. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 7

GUSTAV AQ'KRAMER, 

